CPM talks tough ahead of UPA meet

The Communists said they would withdraw support to the government if the UPA continues to violate the ‘common minimum programme’ (CMP), reports Sutirtho Patranobis.

indiaUpdated: Oct 05, 2007 04:06 IST

Sutirtho Patranobis

Hindustan Times

A day before the third meeting of the UPA-Left political committee formed to resolve their differences on the nuclear issue, the Communists said they would withdraw support to the government if the UPA continues to violate the ‘common minimum programme’ (CMP).

The CPM, in an editorial in its mouthpiece, People’s Democracy, said the outside support to the UPA was based on promises made in the CMP. “This support, however, was based on the CMP. Surely, no one can expect the CPM to support this UPA government, which, in violation of the CMP, is pursuing to continue the direction of India’s foreign policy that was begun in the first place by the BJP-led NDA government,’’ said the editorial, titled ‘Fight both Imperialism and Communalism.’

In another development, the Left on Thursday gave another note to the UPA arguing that India’s independent foreign policy would be compromised if the deal were operationalised.

The note gives the example of Iran and how, according to them, the Indian government capitulated under US’s tacit pressure to vote against Iran at two meetings of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"If before the deal, we could go vote against a country with which we had maintained close ties, what will happen after India operationalises the deal with the US? The Hyde Act maintains that it would be annually checked whether India’s foreign policy is congruent with the US’s foreign policies,’’ said the leader.

Further, the note pointed out that post-deal, the US would want India to support its policies in Iraq and West Asia. “The deal when implemented would also put a question mark on India’s relation with non-aligned nations and other developing countries," the leader said.

The second section of the note talks about India’s defence relation with the US and how the country’s strategic interests would become subservient to the US’s once the deal is through.

“Then there is the issue of increasing military exercises with the US and implications of logistics framework agreement that we have entered with them,’’ the leader said.

The Communists have also raised questions about increasing arms purchases from the Americans.